Sen. Buckner-Webb recovering after mild stroke

State Sen. Cherie Buckner-Webb, D-Boise, the Senate minority caucus chair, is recovering after a mild stroke, and expects to be back in action in time for the start of the legislative session in January. “I will be standing tall as the legislative session begins,” Buckner-Webb said in a statement today.

She said she is making a quick recovery, and attributes that in part to quick recognition of her condition by family members – and to communication technology. She was talking with her son, Phillip, and her granddaughter, using the FaceTime application on her iPhone, when her symptoms started. “During that conversation, her son noticed that her face looked unusual and her speech was slurred,” according to a Senate news release. “Quick action results in the best outcome.”

Buckner-Webb said as a result, she received immediate treatment; she said she is “fortunate to be surrounded by family and friends and to have received excellent professional care.” You can read the full news release here, in which Buckner-Webb encourages people to familiarize themselves with the signs of a stroke, via a checklist developed by the American Stroke Association. Buckner-Webb is a first-term senator who previously served one term in the House; she is the owner of Sojourner Coaching and a noted jazz singer.